Where is Yamatai?

[Jaak]

The accounts of Chinese envoys are garbled.

Into Kyushu, their accounts are detailed - plausible distances, directions, sizes of the countries, titles of officials. As far as Na.

The plausible inference is that as far as Na, the Chinese envoys travelled - and there met the representatives of Yamatai. Or Yamaichi.

Beyond Na, they must have relied on what they understood of the spoken reports of their hosts.

Which are rather less detailed. Wa is said to have contained 30 countries in total (rounded number!) of which 20 (still rounded) were subjects of Yamatai. Beyond the 6 countries of northern Kyushu (all subject to Yamatai), 3 others are named: Tomo (also Yamatai subject), Yamatai itself, and Kunu (independent). The other Wa countries, Yamatai subjects and independent, stay unnamed.

Distances are described unspecifically, but as large. And the direction is unclear.

What does appear is that beyond Na, there is a long distance to Tomo, from Tomo a long distance in the same general direction to Yamatai, and from Yamatai in the same direction a long way to Kunu.

Which direction fits such a long way?

Along Shinkansen railway, from Hakata station southwards is 257 km to Kagoshima. But from Hakata eastwards, Sanyo Shinkansen is 554 km to Osaka and then Tokaido Shinkansen 515 km to Tokyo - total 1069 km.

It would be hard to fit the general impression of a long voyage to southern Kyushu. Nor does southern Kyushu have archaeological traces of powerful 3rd century chiefdoms.

Whereas putting Yamatai in Kinai fits better. Then Tomo was somewhere in Chugoku - either in Kibi/Okayama region or else in Izumo.

A concievable alternative might be to put Yamatai in Okayama and Tomo in, say, Hiroshima - but Yamatai in Yamato seems the most plausible.

Any objections?

[1991sudarshan]

http://heritageofjapan.wordpress.com/2009/11/12/newly-discovered-remains-of-possible-palace-ruins-advances-theory-that-makimuku-structure-may-have-been-queen-himikos-palace-and-centre-of-yamataikoku/

[shikisoku]

[Obenjo Kusanosuke]

[ltdomer98]

[shikisoku]

OK I found out.
It's 2 minutes from Gotanda station.
http://gourmet.walkerplus.com/109461010539/
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